In large enterprise businesses, such as financial institutions or the like, implementing new workflows (i.e., automated or manual procedures/processes conducted by the enterprise) or making changes to existing workflows can be a daunting task. This is because most of the workflows that are conducted within a large enterprise have upstream and/or downstream dependent workflows that are affected by changes to existing workflows and/or addition/deletion of workflows. In addition, most of the workflows within a large enterprise have internal rules and regulations, as well as, in some instances government standards and regulations which must be abided by when conducting the workflow and/or when making changes to the workflow. In specific instances, a change/edit to one workflow may be prohibited due to the change's effect on a downstream dependent workflow (e.g., the downstream workflow would no longer comply to internal rules/regulations and/or government standards or regulations) or a change/edit to one workflow may be acceptable but result in the non-compliance of one or more upstream dependent workflows. Moreover, workflow changes typically require various degrees of corporate approval (i.e., chains of approval) to effectuate the change, with chains of approval existing within each upstream and downstream dependent workflow. Even with the advent of automated systems for workflow management, the management of workflow changes in large enterprises is an exhaustive and time-consuming task.
In addition, in large enterprises many disparate workflow systems or platforms are implemented. Each of these workflow platforms may provide for a different format for hosting the workflows (e.g., standard markup language, such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language); a diagramming and vectors management application; or the like). The disparate formats of such workflow platforms provide an obstacle in importing and exporting workflows or portions of workflows from one workflow platform/system to another workflow platform/system. In most instances, no means exist to interchangeably move a workflow or a portion of a workflow from one platform/system to another/platform system without a redesign of the workflow to accommodate the format of the platform/system receiving the workflow.
Therefore, a new exists to develop systems, apparatus, computer program products, methods and the like that provide for a centralized workflow management system that provides for the ability to manage most, if not all, of the workflows existing throughout a large enterprise regardless of the format of the workflow platform/system providing the workflows. The desired systems and the like should provide for workflow extensibility, such that changes to existing workflows and/or addition of new workflows result in automatic adaption to all downstream and upstream workflows that are affected by the change or addition. Moreover, the desired systems and the like should provide for workflow extendibility, such that additions can be made to existing workflows.